Reference
book covering claims by the tenant for
return of a security deposit, claims
by the landlord for back rent, claims
by the landlord for property damage,
and claims for attorney's fees and punitive
damages.

Summary of Federal and State Fair Housing
Laws - 2013-R-0430You asked
for a summary of the federal Fair Housing
Act (FHA) (42 USC § 3601 et seq.). You also
asked for a brief description of (1) how
the FHA affects municipal land use regulation
and (2) the state's Discriminatory Housing
Practices Act (DHPA) (CGS § 46a-64c, see
also §§ 8-37ee and 46a-81e).

Eviction Process and Time Frame - 2011-R-0350You asked for a description of the eviction
process, including how long it takes to
evict someone and a legislative history
of changes affecting the eviction time frame.

Towns Storing Evicted Tenants' Possessions
- 2010-R-0515A landlord who obtains
a court judgment to evict a tenant may execute
the order by having a state marshal serve
notice of the eviction on the tenant. After
doing so, the marshal gives the town's chief
executive officer 24 hours notice of the
time and place of the eviction and the property
to be removed. On eviction day, the marshal
physically removes the tenant's possessions
and delivers them to a town-designated storage
facility. If the tenant does not reclaim
his or her possessions and pay their storage
expenses within 15 days, the town can sell
the possessions at a public auction after
(1) using reasonable efforts to locate and
notify the tenant and (2) posting notice
for one week on a public signpost near the
eviction location, if any, or at some exterior
place near the town clerk's office.

Rights of a Long-Term Guest at a Residence
- 2010-R-0069You asked about the
rights of a person staying at the home of
another person on a long-term, but informal,
basis. Specifically, you asked (1) when
and how such a guest may gain legal protections
equivalent to those afforded to official
tenants and (2) how the primary resident
may have a person who began staying with
them as a guest, but refuses to leave, removed.

Options Regarding
Unhealthy Apartments - 2008-R-0618You asked: (1) whether
a tenant can obtain a second opinion from
a state agency as to extent of and risks
posed by the mold and (2) if this opinion
shows that the apartment is unhealthy, whether
the tenant can obtain relief in the form
of spray painting the apartment or relocation
assistance. We understand you have a constituent
who has been issued an eviction notice for
nonpayment of rent. She asserts that there
is mold in her apartment, which her town
has inspected at her request.

Collection of
Past Due Rent And Payment of Attorneys'
Fees - 2008-R-0290You asked
(1) why landlords cannot receive a monetary
judgment in housing court, presumably for
back rent or property damages and (2) whether
a court can award attorneys' fees to tenants
represented in housing cases by Legal Services
attorneys.

- 2006-R-0186
You asked (1) for information on the eviction
process in state housing for elderly and
non-elderly disabled people, (2) about eligibility
for tenancy in this type of housing, and
(3) what the legislature has done recently
to address conflicts between younger and
older tenants in this type of housing.

Landlord and Tenant
2005-R-0593
You asked if any state bans winter evictions
and for a comparison of Massachusetts eviction
laws to Connecticuts.

Evicting Service Members and State Marshal
Liability 2005-R-0095You wanted to know the process for evicting
military personnel living in private housing,
especially whether a military affidavit
is required to evict. You also wanted to
know whether state marshals are personally
liable for service of process in eviction
cases.

Uniform Relocation Assistance Act- 2004-R-0383
You asked us to summarize the Uniform Relocation
Assistance Act (URAA) and provide its legislative
history (including original intent). You
also asked what (1) is the process by which
a tenant would qualify for assistance and
(2) are the obligations of municipalities,
housing authorities, and landlords under
the act.

Chapter 135 Uniform Relocation Assistance
Act
The purpose of this chapter is to establish
a uniform policy for the fair and equitable
treatment of persons displaced by the acquisition
of real property by state and local land
acquisition programs, by building code enforcement
activities, or by a program of voluntary
rehabilitation of buildings or other improvements
conducted pursuant to governmental supervision.